“Only Sean Connery in 1964 could pull off wearing a baby-blue terrycloth onesie and still make every woman in the audience breathe a little more deeply and every man want to be him.” — John Cork

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Goldfinger, the classic James Bond adventure starring Sean Connery as Agent 007 and directed by Guy Hamiton. Featuring an unforgettable villain, unforgettable sidekick, unforgettable gadgets, and a Bond Girl with an unforgettable name, Goldfinger, which premiered in London 50 years ago today, delighted audiences becoming the first Bond film to be a global phenomenon, ensuring more 007 films for decades to come. [Read more here...]

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the golden anniversary of the premiere of Bewitched, the magical supernatural situation comedy starring Elizabeth Montgomery that ran on ABC from 1964 to 1972 and in syndication ever since. The enchanting series premiered 50 years ago this week, and for the occasion The Bits features a Q&A with a trio of Bewitched and television historians and authors, who offer their recollections and insight into the popular series. [Read more here...]

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this TWO PAGE retrospective column commemorating the golden anniversary of the release of Mary Poppins, Walt Disney’s popular and award-winning musical-fantasy starring Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. [Read on here…]

“The first time, it will dazzle your senses. The second time, you’ll see it for the first time.”

The Digital Bits is pleased to present this retrospective commemorating the 35th anniversary of the release of Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola’s award-winning Vietnam War epic.

The Bits marks the occasion with this retrospective article featuring a compilation of box-office data that helps place the film’s performance in context, quotes from a selection of movie critics, production and exhibition information, a list of the film’s original 70-millimeter presentations, and an interview segment.[Read on here…]

“It has the personality not of a particular movie but of a product, of something arrived at by corporate decision.”— Vincent Canby, The New York Times

Blockbuster. Juggernaut. Game Changer.

The event, or tentpole, film was taken to new heights during the summer of 1989, and the industry hasn’t been the same since. Sure, there were hits — and megahits — before, but everything this did was new, unorthodox or amplified: mass-saturation marketing, title-less posters, narration-less trailers, loads of tie-in merchandise, dual soundtrack release, one-day-early sneak-preview screenings, anti-piracy electronic-coded release prints, shattered box-office records, home-video release while still in theaters, franchise. [Read on here…]

About Michael Coate

Michael Coate is a journalist and film historian and joined The Digital Bits as a Contributing Editor in 2013. His new column for The Bits is History, Legacy & Showmanship, which focuses on retrospectives and tributes to popular and significant films. From…